EDA to Promote Cooperative Equipment Programmes

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is to produce a plan by 2008 to promote and guide cooperative equipment programmes between its 26 member nations.

The Capability Development Plan (CDP) will help EU governments identify the key capability areas they must develop to meet the security threats of the future, and to target possible areas for collaboration to deliver the necessary capabilities.

EDA spokesman Jo Castelejin says the CDP 'must deliver "actionable conclusions", agreed capability development priorities, initial action plans and identified cooperative opportunities, which participating member states may choose to pursue individually or in combinations inside or outside the EDA environment'.

The CDP will build on last year's long-term vision report, which set out possible contexts for EU crisis-management operations under the European Security and Defence Policy in 2020 and beyond.

An initial element of the CDP to be delivered early next year and a full draft of the plan will be ready for review next July.